Tool for floor treating machine



Aug. 20, 1968 N. N. OKUN TOOL FOR FLOOR TREATING MACHINE Filed NOV. 18, 1966 IN VEN'TOR. NATHANIEL N. OKUN BY 4 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,397,419 TOOL FOR FLOOR TREATING MACHINE Nathaniel N. Okun, Baltimore, Md., assignor to The Cello Chemical Company, Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Nov. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 595,466 6 Claims. (CI. 15-49) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is a tool useable on a floor waxing and polishing machine of the type having a circular brush, with the weight of the machine resting on the brush, the latter being readily detachable and changeable to another. The new tool avoids the problem of excessive friction when working on carpets and rugs. It comprises a tool hub carrying a circular support plate having a smooth bottom face, and an annular brush surrounding the support plate. The tool hub is readily detachably received in the machine, and is of substantial height, and the brush is vertically slidable on the hub so that it rests floatingly on a carpet, while the support plate bears the weight of the machine. Compression springs urge the brush downwardly somewhat, and screws are provided to adjust the force exerted by the springs.

This invention relates to floor treating machines, and more particularly to rotary brushes for the same.

Floor treating machines commonly employ a brush for floor waxing and polishing, and also for floor scrubbing in the case of linoleum or tile. The weight of the machine rests on the brush.

More recently these machines have been suggested to shampoo carpets and rugs. In some cases a dry shampoo is used, employing fullers earth or sawdust saturated with a cleaning fluid, and in other cases a wet shampoo is used for which purpose a solution tank is attached to the handle of the machine so that liquid may be supplied slowly to the brush. The motor usually is a fractional horsepower motor, say one-quarter horsepower, and with the brush resting directly on a carpet the driving load becomes excessive.

The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved tool for a floor treating machine which overcomes this difliculty and reduces the motor load when working on carpet. For this purpose I provide the tool with a support disc having a smooth bottom, and the brush floats freely vertically relative to the support disc.

To accomplish the foregoing general object, and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in the tool elements and their relation one to another as are hereinafter more particularly described in the following specification. The specification is accompanied by a drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a typical floor treating machine in which either the old or the improved tool may be used;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the improved tool;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section drawn to somewhat larger scale and taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the driving hub of the floor machine; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to FIG. 1, the floor machine comprises a body 12 having a driving motor 14 mounted thereon. The tool shown is a brush 16 which usually bears the weight of the machine but which in the present case is floatingly mounted. The machine is moved by means of a handle 18 having hand grips 20, and is preferably provided with dual switch con- 3,397,419 Patented Aug. 20, 1968 trols 22. A long flexible cable 24 leads to the switch mechanism housed at 26, and a short loop of flexible cable 28 leads to the motor 14. There are wheels 30 which may be raised or lowered, as by means of a lever 32. The wheels are raised when working, and lowered when transporting. The handle 18 may be provided with means 34 to facilitate the attachment of a solution tank, not shown, when using a wet shampoo.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing, the tool comprises a tool hub 40 and an annular brush 42. The tool hub 40 is adapted to be detachably received on the driving hub of the floor machine in order to be driven thereby. The particular machine here shown is manufactured by The Cello Chemical Company of Baltimore, Maryland. The motor 14 drives reduction gearing housed in the body 12 and terminating in a drive hub shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The hub 44 is secured to the lower end of a vertical shaft 46, as by means of a nut 48, and has three lugs 50 disposed therearound.

Reverting to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the tool hub 40 is notched at 52 to matingly receive the lugs 50, which pass through the notches and then turn to abutments 54, thus holding and driving the tool. A slight slope is preferably provided ahead of each abutment 54, as shown at 56 in FIG. 3, in order to provide a secure snug attachment of the tool hub 40 to the machine hub 44.

The tool hub 40 is of substantial height, and is noncircular on the outside. In the present case it is externally splined by means of three vertical splines 58. It also carries or is formed with a bottom support plate 60. The brush 42 is readily vertically slidable on the tool hub, and is internally shaped to mate with the tool hub and to be rotated thereby. In the present case it has three slots 62 which receive the three splines 58. In consequence the brush 42 may rest floatingly on a carpet, while the support plate 60 bears the Weight of the machine.

The tool hub 40 has means near the top and bottom to limit vertical movement and to prevent escape of the brush 42. In the present case the periphery of the support plate 60 acts as a bottom holding means, and there is a ledge or ring 64 which acts as a top holding means. These prevent separation of the brush from the tool hub. The support plate 60 should be circular and should :have a smooth or polished bottom face, thereby greatly reducing the torque required to turn the tool. Plate 60 may be made of a metal such as brass, but also may be made of a plastics material, for example plexiglass. For extra long wear a hardened metal may be used. The plate is secured to the tool hub by means of three screws 66 (FIG. 3) which are received in three thickened parts 68 (FIGS. 2 and 3) formed inside the tool hub.

The brush 42 may be made in accordance with known manufacturing procedure, except that the back 70 of the brush is an annulus which is narrower than usual. In a typical case the plate 70 may have a diameter of say seven inches for a brush having an outside diameter of say ten inches. The back 70 here is cast out of metal, and the metal projects inward to provide material for the slots 62 which straddle the splines 58 as previously mentioned. The back 70 may be provided also with three inwardly projecting pads 72. The rim of the brush preferably is provided with an upstanding flange 74 which serves to retain liquid against flying outward when using a wet shampoo solution.

As so far described, the force exerted by the brush would be gravitational, and that is sufiicient for carpeting having a deep nap or pile. However, it may be desired to somewhat increase the force when working on a carpet having an unusually low nap. For that purpose resilient means may be provided between the top of the tool hub and the annular brush in order to urge the brush downward with a force somewhat greater than the gravitational force on the brush. In the present case there are three small compression springs 76, the lower ends of which rest on the pads 72 of the brush, and the upper ends of which are carried by screw adjustment means 78, so that the force exerted by the springs may be adjusted. In the specific form shown there are studs 80 threadedly received in the ring 64 of the tool hub, and the spring is clamped between nuts 82. The adjusted position of the stud may be locked, as by means of a locknut 84.

The latch or detent parts 54 and 56 are formed on a plate 55 which is secured to the tool hub by means of screws 57. These are threaded into the same thickened parts 68 of the hub which receive the bottom screws 66. However, it will be understood that the top plate 55 could be cast integrally with the cylindrical part 40 of the tool hub.

In the present case the tool hub and also the brush top 70 are made of aluminum, but other materials may be used. The brush bristles may be secured by means of wire lacing indicated at 80.

In operation the weight of the machine carries the tool hub downward, as is here indicated in FIG. 3 by the change from the solid line position 60 to the broken line position 60. This assumes lowering of the tool to the floor, but alternatively it may be assumed that the tool is on the floor, and that the brush 42 rises relative to the tool hub.

It is believed that the construction and method of use of my improved tool for floor treatment, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It will also be apparent that while I have shown and described the improvement in a preferred form, changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A tool for a floor treating machine, said tool comprising a tool hub, a circular support plate having a smooth bottom face, and an annular brush surrounding said support plate, said plate and brush being carried by said tool hub, said tool hub being adapted to be readily detachably received on the driving hub of a floor machine and to be driven thereby, said tool hub being of substantial height and non-circular on the outside and 4' v having said support plate on bottom, said brush being readily vertically slidable on said tool hub and being internally shaped to mate with said tool hub in order to be rotated thereby, whereby the brush may rest floatingly on a carpet While the support plate bears the weight of the machine, thereby reducing the motor torque required.

2. A tool for a floor treating machine as defined in claim 1, in which the tool hub 'is' externallysplinedJind has means near the top and bottom tolimit the vertical movement of the annular brush and to thereby hold it against separation from the .tool: hub. I v

3. A tool for a floor. treating machine as defined in claim 2 in which there are resilient-means disposed between the top of the tool hub and the annular brush in order to urge the brush downwardly with a force somewhat greater than the gravitational'force on the brush.

4. A tool for a floor treating machine as definedi n claim 3 in which the resilient means are compression springs, and in which there are screw adjustment means for the springs in order to adjust the force exerted there- 'by on the brush.

5. A tool for a floor treating machine as defined in claim 1 in which there are resilient means disposed between the top of the tool hub and the annular brush in order to urge the brush downwardly with a force somewhat greater than the gravitational force on the brush.

6. A tool for a floor treating machine as defined in claim 5 in which the resilient means are compression springs, and in which there are screw adjustment means for the springs in order to adjust the force exerted thereby on the brush.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,591,682 7/1926 Ponselle 15-49 1,641,103 8/1927 Small 15-28 X 2,000,930 5/1935 Nagy 1529 X 3,107,378 10/1963 Jepson et al. 1549 FOREIGN PATENTS I 129,155 7/ 1947 Australia.

EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner. 

